1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus which directly controls a flow of toner particles and records an image on a recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
One conventional image recording apparatus, having an electric field formed between a control electrode and a back electrode to directly control the charged toner particles, permits an image to be recorded on an image recording medium that is inserted between the control electrode and the back electrode. The control electrode has a plurality of apertures through which charged toner particles or coloring particles can pass. A type of the above-mentioned apparatus is disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,935.
The control electrode comprises an insulative layer, a reference electrode layer and a plurality of independent, isolated segments of an independent electrode layer. The reference electrode layer is made from one sheet of metal which is laminated on the insulative layer on a side toward the supply of toner particles. The plurality of independent electrode segments are provided on the side of the insulative layer away from the supply of toner particles. Moreover, each of the independent electrode layers has a small hole, an aperture, therethrough. In other words, each aperture penetrates the reference electrode layer, the insulative layer and one of the segments of the independent electrode layer. Each of the independent electrodes segments is independently connected to an exclusive signal source (not shown) and the reference electrode has applied a fixed potential such as grounding.
However, the output print of the above-mentioned image recording apparatus does not provide enough density contrast. One of the main causes of this problem is that the charged toner particles supplied from a toner particles supplying portion are not attracted toward the reference electrode in large quantities because the reference electrode is grounded.